Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast

Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about Cody Bellinger‘s and Keston Hiura’s home runs, the Cardinals’ climactic four-game sweep of the Cubs, the Brewers’ surge sans Christian Yelich, the rapid reversal in the NL Central playoff picture, Craig Kimbrel, Dallas Keuchel, and the narrative about players signed at midseason, what went wrong for Chicago and how we should perceive the Cubs’ Theo Epstein era, how this year’s playoff teams got good, what we’ve learned about the efficacy of tanking, the AL wild card race, and the Padres firing Andy Green. Audio intro: Phish, "Swept Away" Audio outro: The Avett Brothers, "Swept Away (Sentimental Version)" Link to article about the Triple-A home run rate Link to NL Central playoff odds graph Link to video of Ozuna homer Link to article about forthcoming Cubs changes Link to order The MVP Machine  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller talk to two Atlantic League players with the Somerset Patriots, pitcher Rick Teasley and catcher Yovan Gonzalez, about the experimental rules being tested in the league this season as part of a partnership with MLB. They discuss how Rick and Yovan first heard about the new rules, how players have perceived the changes and the effect of the rules on team morale, the elimination of mound visits, the problems with robot umps, the end of catcher framing, the absurdity of “stealing first base,” the second-half pickoff-move change and subsequent explosion in stolen bases, how future changes should be implemented, which new rules could be worth keeping, what the impact of moving the mound back might be, Teasley’s quasi-perfect game, and more. Audio intro: Mates of State, "An Experiment" Audio outro: Silver Jews, "Random Rules" Link to list of Atlantic League changes Link to Rob Arthur on Atlantic League stolen bases Link to video of Atlantic Leaguer refusing to run to first Link to Ben on moving the mound back Link to article about Teasley’s quasi-perfect game Link to video of last out of Teasley’s perfect outing Link to story about 2018 Tampa Tarpons game Link to order The MVP Machine  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about the return of Luis Severino and the Yankees’ prospective playoff roster, how teams will use their pitchers in the playoffs, a Sonny Gray fun fact that sort of checks out, Yu Darvish’s strikeout spree, and an extremely long September game, discuss the arrest of Felipe Vázquez, and answer listener emails about Mookie Betts and Mike Trout, when today’s baseball will start to seem dated, how long it takes bad teams to restore their reputations, and the audacity of promising to hit home runs. Audio intro: Gregory Alan Isakov, "San Luis" Audio outro: Sturgill Simpson, "The Promise" Link to Jay Jaffe on Severino’s return Link to Aaron Boone on the Yankees’ playoff pitching plans Link to Sonny Gray story Link to Darvish story Link to Ben on the playoffs as a vision of the future Link to Yaz home runs GIF Link to Ben on MLB’s quality of play Link to Seinfeld clip Link to post on promised home runs Link to order The MVP Machine  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about the Twins’ missed opportunity for a mid-plate-appearance pitching change, more mind-boggling home run facts about the year of the dinger, fun facts about the Diamondbacks and Jarrod Dyson, Guy Fieri endorsing Spencer Torkelson and which celebrity character references might make them draft a player higher, and how to answer the Phillies’ interview question for a quantitative analyst position, then discuss Mike Trout’s season-ending injury and what his accumulating missed time might mean for his career. Audio intro: Sonny & The Sunsets, "The Application" Audio outro: The Only Ones, "Curtains for You" Link to Ben on mid-PA pitching changes Link to story on the one-baserunner Diamondbacks win Link to video of Rich Aude’s bat flip Link to 2018 Phillies interview question Link to 2019 Phillies interview question Link to Jay Jaffe on the end of Trout’s season Link to order The MVP Machine  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Kyle Lewis’s debut, Rich Hill’s brief return, Daniel Palka’s second hit of the season, the Braves and Dallas Keuchel, and the Diamondbacks’ Brewers-style rebuild, then (18:13) talk to Will Leitch about what (if anything) Dave Dombrowski’s firing says about MLB teams’ competitive priorities, how the Cardinals (and Jack Flaherty) became the NL’s most successful second-half squad, and the NL Central and NL wild card races. Audio intro: The Resonars, "Attention Here" Audio interstitial: Supertramp, "The Meaning" Audio outro: The Mountain Goats, "Bluejays and Cardinals" Link to Tony Wolfe on Keuchel Link to Ben Clemens on the Diamondbacks Link to Will’s Dombrowski column Link to Rob Arthur on Dombrowski Link to Evan Drellich on Dombrowski Link to Peter Gammons on Dombrowski Link to Zach Kram on Flaherty Link to Andrew Simon on Flaherty Link to Craig on the Cardinals’ defense Link to Will’s Cardinals podcast Link to Will’s newsletter Link to order The MVP Machine  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about the costs of Christian Yelich’s broken kneecap and other injuries disrupting pennant races and the Mets-centric personal-catcher controversy involving Noah Syndergaard, Wilson Ramos, and Tomás Nido. Then they answer listener emails about the mystery of Edwin Díaz (and the more minor mystery of Justin Verlander) and whether we’re heading for a post-pitch-type sport, plus a Stat Blast about batter results on 3-0 counts and further discussion about out-of-nowhere closers and viral fun facts about Bruce Bochy and the Mariners. Audio intro: Green Day, "Christian’s Inferno" Audio outro: The Pigeon Detectives, "Making Up Numbers" Link to Ben on the Yelich injury Link to first Syndergaard-Ramos report Link to Syndergaard-Ramos follow-up Link to Díaz story Link to Craig on Verlander dingers Link to story on Verlander’s strand rate Link to Sam on surprise closers Link to order The MVP Machine  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about Michael Lorenzen, Shohei Ohtani, and two-way terminology, marvel at Eugenio Suárez and other surprises from the 2019 home run leaderboard, celebrate the AL wild card race, salute the improving A’s and Rays, and discuss teams that are reshaping their potential playoff rosters late in the regular season, respond at length to the breaking news that the Red Sox have fired president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski less than a year after winning the World Series, and then play a Cy Young award game and analyze the legacy of Justin Verlander. Audio intro: Ben Folds, "Fired" Audio outro: Midnight Oil, "Short Memory" Link to story on Mitch Garver’s reinvention Link to Ken Rosenthal’s speculation about Dombrowski Link to Alex Speier’s book Homegrown Link to Ben on Boston’s post-championship complacency Link to Passan report on Dombrowski Link to Baumann on Verlander Link to FiveThirtyEight article on Verlander Link to Craig Edwards on Verlander’s home run rate Link to order The MVP Machine  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Meg’s time in the mountains and subsequent September disorientation, attempt to divine the family dynamics of a Colin Moran vs. Brian Moran matchup, talk about the Twins pulling away in the AL Central race and the implications for Cleveland, and discuss the downsides of the annual debate about the definition of “value” in the MVP award debate (plus more musings about Daniel Palka’s 1-for-53 start to his 2019 MLB season). Audio intro: Mavis Staples, "Brothers and Sisters" Audio outro: Joe Jackson, "Nineteen Forever" Link to story on the Morans Link to video of the Morans Link to THT piece on MVP voting criteria Link to Sam on Trout’s 2017 MVP award Link to video of Palka’s lone MLB hit from 2019 Link to order The MVP Machine  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller debate whether a fact about Michael Lorenzen’s multi-way play is fun, banter about Nelson Cruz’s unflagging offense, technology and the future of the knuckleball, and an ignominious achievement by Billy Hamilton, then answer listener emails about the lack of four-homer games, what would happen if foul balls caught in the stands counted as outs, and whether (and how) MLB should ask its audience what it wants to see, plus a Stat Blast about the most-ever talent on one team and another fun-fact debate (about Cody Bellinger). Audio intro: The Stooges, "No Fun" Audio outro: The Scruffs, "You’re No Fun" Link to Lorenzen story Link to Ben on Cruz Link to Ben on the knuckleball Link to Travis on foul balls Link to Sam on the most talented teams Link to order The MVP Machine  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source

Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about the Cardinals, the Nationals, and the NL’s increasingly interesting playoff races, the pluses and minuses of expanded September rosters, a caveat about time-traveling to see Mike Trout’s final game, and Justin Verlander’s third no-hitter and the role of health in determining pitchers’ careers, then discuss the significance of five fun (and not-so-fun) facts: Oakland’s history of slow starts and fast finishes; Cleveland’s performance against good and bad teams, Buster Posey’s second-half swoons and the veteran stars having the most disappointing seasons; the Marlins’ attendance and baseball’s future as a remote viewing experience; and the Tigers’ lack of above-average hitters and the entertainment value of terrible teams (plus an update on Aristides Aquino and facts about fastest starts). Audio intro: The Resonars, "Three Times Around" Audio outro: John Doe and The Sadies, "The Cold Hard Facts of Life" Link to Glanville on expanded rosters Link to Sam on Stallings Link to Sam on Statcast no-hitters Link to article about Verlander’s low point Link to Sam’s power rankings contributions Link to Max Marchi on who’s ahead of whom Link to Neil Paine on the terrible Tigers Link to Aquino story Link to Sam on Bellinger Link to Sam on Yelich Link to Ben on knuckleballs Link to order The MVP Machine  iTunes Feed (Please rate and review us!)  Sponsor Us on Patreon  Facebook Group  Effectively Wild Wiki  Twitter Account  Get Our Merch!  Email Us: podcast@fangraphs.com Source